Auxiliary Line on a Bruce anchor

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by GordMay

“Anchor Trip-line Tricks” ~ by Drew Frye
Published: March 22, 2022
➥ https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...ip-line-tricks


“The Bruce Anchor Sets Best” ~ by Darrell Nicholson
Published: August 24, 2000 Updated: March 2, 2020
➥ https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...chor-sets-best

The Bruce report is 20 years old, and a little behind the times then. Totally out of date.


Trip lines are > 95% PIA. I would skip it unless you are in a very snag-prone area, and then I would plan on going for a swim once in a while.


Marking an anchor location is a terrible reason. Other sailors already know where the anchor is (about 5:1 in front of your boat, obviously). Just a hazard to navigation ... as the OP learned. In fact, he is lucky he didn't trip his own anchor and drag off.

[Don C L]

The OP came here looking for tips for a trip line that would not be a potential hazard to others. He’s not looking to mark his anchor location. It’s a great question because, though it may be rare, having to drop your anchor and chain is no fun. And in many places likely to foul an anchor, diving may not be an option.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Don C L

The OP came here looking for tips for a trip line that would not be a potential hazard to others. He’s not looking to mark his anchor location. It’s a great question because, though it may be rare, having to drop your anchor and chain is no fun. And in many places likely to foul an anchor, diving may not be an option.

Short answer is there is no sure fire way. The use in the Caribbean where we sail is remote. Maybe we see 10 boats using a marker over 7 years. Three have become self tangled or tangled with a nearby boat. Percentages for trouble are high. It should never be considered in a crowded anchorage. Use it where you might snag rocks or coral. - But then, you shouldn’t anchor in corals anyway. If you hook big abandoned chain or a shipwreck you will be diving for it anyway.

[Don C L]

Again, I think we are talking about a trip line that is run back to the boat, not to a marker buoy.

[davefromoregon]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Short answer is there is no sure fire way. The use in the Caribbean where we sail is remote. Maybe we see 10 boats using a marker over 7 years. Three have become self tangled or tangled with a nearby boat. Percentages for trouble are high. It should never be considered in a crowded anchorage. Use it where you might snag rocks or coral. - But then, you shouldn’t anchor in corals anyway. If you hook big abandoned chain or a shipwreck you will be diving for it anyway.

I managed to get myself tangled up in my trip line last summer. That is a good part of why I’m here.

I’ve gotten a couple good strategies to deal with the problem from this discussion. One is a pulley arrangement on the trip line attached to the float. That would mark the anchor as well as providing a trip line. I accept that marker buoy has problems. The other solution is to have the trip line attached to the anchor chain at the anchor itself and then some distance greater than the depth up the chain using caribeeners or something similar.